Improvement in horse hay-rakes



PATENT CEEIGE. n

CURTIS ORANGE LUCE, OF BRANDON, VERMONT.y

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-RAKES;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,347, dated January 13, 1874; application iiled November 8, 1873.

CAsE C. A

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, CURTIs ORANGE LUCE, of Brandon, in the county of Rutland, Vermont, have invented an Improved Horse Hay-Rake, of which the following is a speci-cation:

This implement is of that class known as stand-up rakes, the driver riding in standing position, and lifting and lowering the raketeeth by means of treadles. In other respects- 1 rake are, a combined axle-tree and rake-head,

A 5 a pair of ground-wheels, B; a pair of thills, C, extended back and hinged to the axle-tree; a drivers platform, D, on the rear ends of the thills, spring rake-teeth E; clearing-iin-` gers F; a pair of treadles, T T2; and a handrail, H. The axle-tree A is, preferably, provided With slots z to receive the rake-teeth E, and the latter are attached in pairs, by pivotbrackets y applied to the front of the aXle-tree,

as clearly illustrated in Fig. l; but this forms no part of the present invention. The clearingffxngers F are attached, by cleats w, to the lower surfaces of head-bars I, which are attached to the under side of the thills C and platform D in such manner as to accommodate the treadles between their inner ends. The thillsC are attached to the axle-tree A by straps w, embracing cylindrical wrists turned on the axle-tree, which is thus adhpted to oscillate freely on its spindles. Simple staples 'v may serve for hitchin g the horse to the thills. The main treadle, T, for depressing the teeth and holding them to their work, isapplied to the top of the axle-tree, and its effective end projects rearwardly. Its front end, t, is extended beneath the drivers platform, or into a recess formed in its rear edge. 'The` second treadle, T2, is hinged at its lower end to the front extension t of the main treadle, and works vertically, or nearly vertically, through an orifice in the drivers platform, to elevate the raketeeth, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Thefront extension of the main treadle beneath the drivers platform serves to limit the motion of the for mer, and, consequently, of the axle-tree and rake-teeth, and insures the positive support of the teeth at properworlring height. The driver may consequently rest a portion of his weight on the main treadle to hold the teeth to their work without danger of straining them. By standing with one foot on the front treadle T2 the rake-teeth may b e supported in elevated position, as while driving to and from the field. By resting all his weight on the platform, the driver simply releases the axle-tree or rakehead. He has, consequently, perfect control `of the teeth, and may lift them only a slight distance, so as to clear an obstruction Without dumping.

The following is claimed -as new, namely: Y

The combination, in a horse-rake, of an axletree, A, to'which the teeth are attached, thills C, hinged to the same, a standing platform, D, on the thills, a rearwardly-projecting treadle,

T, attached to the axle-tree for holding the teeth to their work, a treadle, T2, in the stand-V ing platform for lifting the teeth, and an extension, t, of the first-named treadle beneath the standing platform, to limit the depression of the teeth and to connectthe elevating-treadle to the axle-tree, as herein set forth.

Witnesses GEO. BRIGGs, J. H. BLAKE. i 

